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Line winter shoes with carpet.
It may sound
a little weird, but a small carpet scrap makes a
great cold weather insulator. Trace your feet on a
piece of paper and make a pattern. Then cut
out the carpet to fit. Place in rubbers, boots
or other winter shoes that could use a little extra
help with the cold.
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Turn that ordinary box into something special.
Have you ever been shopping
for children's furniture and been disappointed with
the quality? It might be because it was
corrugated cardboard. Why pay retail when you
can have it for free? The next time you get a
box with a top and a bottom, make it into something
special. Paint it or glue fabric on it.
Decorate it with glitter or other notions.
You'll be surprised at how you can get an ordinary
old box to shine.
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Hide it in a book.
An easy, and cheap
way to hide small items is inside an old book
(hopefully what that is not a collectible :o).
A hard cover book is best, standard or oversized.
Cut out about a 6 "x 4" hole in
the pages (be sure to leave facing pages front and
back). Then put in your jewelry, secret
papers, or whatever, and place it back on the shelf.
No one will ever be the wiser. NOTE:
Be sure to remember what book you hid your valuables
in.
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Keep a window shade in the trunk.
This is a
space-saving device that you can be mighty happy to
have handy. Use it as a ground throw for an
impromptu picnic. Or, if you ever have a flat
tire, a window shade can help to protect you and
your clothing from the cold, dirty ground.
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Get your money's worth from that old broom.
Even if it looks
ready for the garbage heap, there's probably a lot
of uses for that old broom. Never throw out an
old wood handle. It can be used to replace the
shafts of broken tools. A broom with its
bristles can be placed under a heavy object and used
as a dolly to slide the item without scratching the
floor. Clean the broom bristles in warm sudsy
water. Let them dry in the sun. Then
take a handful, twist together at one end with wire,
and you've got a handy little crumb broom.
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Candle stubs have plenty of uses.
It may look as if
there's not another thing to do with those old
candle stubs, but they still have plenty of life in
them. Melt a few drops of a wax candle and use
it to seal an envelope that has lost its stick.
Melted wax makes a fine adhesive for any paper
surface -- use a wax blob to seal gift packages.
Throw old stubs into your fire kindling and use them
as a firestarter. Rub candle wax on metal
runners, inside of drawers -- it will help ease the
sticking and make drawers slide better. Rub on
iron to make them glide over the fabric better.
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Take the juice of one banana skin.
Would you believe
banana skins have juice? Well, to find out for
sure, try this bright trick. Cut off the
hard ends. Throw the soft pulpy portion of the
peel into a processor. Take the banana puree
and use it to shine up your silver. You'll be
impressed.
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Dusting by hand.
Cut down the time
you spend dusting by using an old pair of cotton or
wool gloves. Instead of carting around a rag
and polish, just run your gloved hands over
furniture. The dust collects on the gloves and
when they're dirty, just pop them in the wash.
Dusting this way also helps you to get into those
little dust-collecting crevices.
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If your cheese dries out, don't throw it away.
Just because it's
dry doesn't mean it's spoiled. Simply grate
and use as an 'au gratin' topping.
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A hint of a tint and you've got new glasses.
Most people don't know that you can take regular
clear prescription lenses and have a tint added.
So, if you get a new pair of glasses, why not have
your old, clear pair tinted for the sun?
You're likely to find that the dark lens give a
fresh look to an old pair of frames.
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